The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson Wasn't Shy With His Feelings About Donald Trump

As the world celebrates the incredible life and work of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, fans are taking a walk down memory lane and remembering the legendary artist. On June 11, his family revealed that the 82-year-old is now one of the stars we've sadly lost in 2025 with an Instagram post, writing, "We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away. We are at a loss for words right now." They ended the announcement with the words, "Love & Mercy." This was the title of the opening song on Wilson's 1988 self-titled solo album, indicating how special the song's message likely was to him. For someone who wrote a song about love and mercy that he seemingly considered to be at the center of his values, it's not difficult to guess how Wilson may have felt about the current state of the world and about Donald Trump. If there was any question, though, Wilson didn't shy away from making his feelings about Trump clear.

The Beach Boys arrived on the scene in 1961 and slowly fell apart over time. Decades after getting their start, one of the band's founding members and Wilson's cousin Mike Love was still a part of the Beach Boys' touring band. In 2020, the band performed as headliners for a Trump campaign event in Newport Beach, California. And, Wilson made it clear that he wasn't supportive of this choice.

"We have absolutely nothing to do with the Trump benefit today in Newport Beach. Zero," a spokesperson for Brian Wilson and fellow founding "Beach Boys" member Al Jardine told Variety back in 2020. They added, "We didn't even know about it and were very surprised to read about it in the Los Angeles Times." Unfortunately, Mike Love's former bandmates' distaste for his choice to perform their songs in support of Donald Trump fell on deaf ears. The band went on to perform at an event at Mar-a-Lago in December 2024. 

Wilson and Jardine are far from alone in their desire to avoid association with Trump — especially these days, when the backlash against the controversial president reaches a fever pitch. There are stars who left the country after Trump's second presidential win and celebs who ditched their Teslas to stick it to him and Elon Musk. There is also a seemingly ever-growing list of musicians who complained or fought back against Trump's use of their music for his events — an option that Wilson and Jardine likely would have appreciated the luxury of having. Luckily, Wilson's legacy and his message of "love and mercy" will persist long after any Mar-a-Lago concerts — and Trump's presidency — have ended.